Disconnected

So I just moved apartments this past Memorial Day weekend. With all the help, it only took 4 hours to move out and into my new place. Pretty stunning I know!

A new place however means that I won't have internet for another couple of days which has made email, blogging, watching Netflix and blowing hours on facebook really tough.

Apparently, the woman who lived in the apartment prior to my move-in, owed money all over town. BGE and Comcast wanted me to pass on my regards and so, Ms. Bride-to-Be (I only know b/c you are getting bridal magazines), please know that BGE & Comcast miss you, and more importantly the combined $500+ dollars you owe them.

Aside from the lack of internet, I've finally gotten into law school which has been taking up plenty of time and I expect it to do so to a greater extent in the future.

Moving on, I still have yet to spend some actual time out on the water. I'm hoping my new location which is closer to my boat, will lend itself to move time out sailing. I'm looking forward to some longer races and I plan to do at least two overnight sails this season. I guess we'll have to see how that goes...

This post brought you by the free wi-fi at Starbucks.

Rehobeth

Nice little sampler to start the day.

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Song for Friday - Making Big Decisions Gives Me White Knuckles

America's Cup 34 - Challenger of Record Withdraws!?!

This post has been reblogged as well. [Sigh]. I feel lazy when I just reblog but I really haven't had much time lately. At all. When I get more than a few mins to myself, maybe I'll get around to explaining why I've been so busy as of late.

"12 05 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters,

with deep sorrow I have to announce my decision to withdraw my team from the 34th America’s Cup.

Since the very beginning of our role as Challenger of Record, I have been working on this project focused to bring the Cup in our Country.

Larry deeply loves Italy and he was excited about this idea. The Cup in Italy would have been the greatest worldwide promotion for our beautiful coasts. There have been some very high level and important meetings that made us believing in this dream, but the things went in a different way.

As Challenger of Record, we have worked with humility next to Oracle and I am satisfied of the result we have reached: a new Cup, spectacular, with new boats, the catamarans, that will launch on the international scene a new generation of sailors.

With Russell we have discussed for long time on the most difficult challenge that the next Cup must face: an international situation with big economic crisis and therefore huge difficulties to find sponsor. This is the only, true, real enemy of the next Cup. We have then thought of the idea to create the class AC45, a concrete way to make lot of teams get involved in the event reducing costs, at least in the delicate period of the start-up.

On our side, I must thank the two Italian sponsors that believed and confirmed us their trust. We are not able, however, to reach a budget that allows us to be a competitive team.

In our sport, men in blazer have overcome by now those in oilskins, I'm a man in oilskin and when I go in the sea, I want to win. I’m not interested in a hopeless challenge, I would lie to the sponsors, to our fans and last but not least also to myself.

I would like to thank our friends from Club Nautico di Roma. I am sure that we will have new exciting adventures together.

The sailing adventure of Mascalzone Latino doesn’t end anyway with the Cup, but it continues with the sailing school in Naples, free of charge, for those children coming from the most difficult areas of this town. A daily challenge, and, who knows, maybe someday we will see a new America’s Cup champion coming out from one of them.

Fair wind to all of you.

                                                                                                                        Vincenzo Onorato"

Read the story here.

Robots: The New Counter-Pirates!

(Picture "borrowed" from xadrian) 

This story has been re-blogged from CNET's Tim Hornyak because I frankly couldn't re-write it better.


"Piracy off the shores of Africa continues to be a serious problem, costing the shipping industry billions of dollars. Could robots help in the battle against pirates?

ReconRobotics has teamed up with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific to develop a concept robot that would be able to climb hulls and perform reconnaissance missions on ships seized by pirates.

The micro-robot would be based on Recon's Throwbot platform, a rolling surveillance robot that can be tossed through a window, down a staircase, or into hazardous situations. It's used by military and law enforcement and can survive throws of 120 feet.

The 1-pound ship-boarding bot would launch from a "marsupial robot deployment system," in which a larger robot would carry it to its deployment location. Its magnetized wheels would then carry it up and over a ship hull to spy on pirates. It has infrared optics to see in the dark.

The concept was shown off in March at the National Defense Industry Association's Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference in Orlando. Fla. There's a video of a prototype climbing a wall here.

The idea is pretty nifty, but the micro-robot first would have to get close enough to a commandeered ship to board it. Robo-boats like the Protector might work.

All it needs is two arms, a cutlass, and a flintlock pistol."

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/arrr-micro-bot-climbs-ships-to-spy-on-pirates/8301-17938_105-20059625-1.html#ixzz1LP38rU74